A Severe Reprimand for Leaker of R.O.K.-U.S. Free Trade Agreement Bargaining Chips

A highly confidential Korean government document has been leaked, affecting the talks on the ROK-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. The document in question outlines automotive environmental regulations considered to be FTA bargaining chips for Korea. In the course of negotiations, the U.S. government appeared to be informed of even the most minute details of Korean stances and policy actions on such regulations. This pathetic turn of events was reported to the Blue House and is being investigated by the National Intelligence Service. Top South Korean and U.S. trade officials began their meeting Tuesday, Oct. 26 in San Francisco.

For this round of negotiations, the U.S. has been looking to come to a deal on beef and automobile trade. There has been a prospect for a tug-of-war over the issue of how much the Korean government will ease automotive environmental regulations if it refuses to budge any further on beef import regulations. How embarrassing it must have been for negotiators in this situation to know that their entire hand had already been revealed.

The leaked document allegedly contains the details of automobile fuel efficiency and emissions regulations that would be put into effect in 2012, as well as a detailed account of Korean plans for environmental regulations. By 2015, Korea had been planning to enact a mandate that cars be able to travel at least 17 kilometers per liter of fuel and produce no more than 140 grams of emissions per kilometer traveled. Targets for the regulation of imported vehicles had also been specified. Knowing that such regulations are expected to be a big blow for bulky, fuel-inefficient imported cars, the American auto industry can now demand that Korea delay the enactment of these planned policies or even push for an exception through the FTA.

Handing over a government bargaining chip that is so crucial to the national interest is no different from espionage. The exact details of the leak will become better known with further investigation, but this situation is already indicative that there are security problems within the government. It also demonstrates a lack of discipline in the later term of the Lee administration. Those responsible for the leak should be found out and heavily rebuked.

Measures must be put into place to prevent another incident like this. We cannot afford to have important government policies hacked and leaked once again. A comprehensive, government-wide inspection is in order. We must strengthen security training and take supplementary measures to ensure that there are no cracks in the system.